1/2" vs. 3/4" sidewalls

[fornesto]

I'm having some difficulty locating 4 x 10 or 5 x 10 3/4" plywood for the sidewalls. They seem to have 4 x 10 1/2" plywood everywhere and possibly 5 x 10. What is the real difference (besides some insulation value) of using 1/2" plywood?

[Steve Frederick]

Fornesto, I'm thinking that the big difference would be the straight-ness of the material. Thicker ply will be flatter, and give you a straighter wall. I'm currently building with a built-up wall of 1/4 ply, framed out with 3/4 furring and insulated. The benefit I see to this method is, that you can build a flat wall that is lighter and insulated as well. The wall will be 1-1/4" thick. As for sheet sizes, if you are covering the Tear in aluminum, splice 1/4" sheets along a furring strip. If you want the wood look, I made 11-foot by 5-foot panels for the Lil'Diner by a little "creative" splicing. If included in some sort of built up arrangment, strength is no problem. Although, cutting can be a little nerve-racking! This is my twin of Mike's 'Diner. Birch/Scraps of Mike's Cherry ply/Birch.

[Joseph]

What is the real difference (besides some insulation value) of using 1/2" plywood?

In short - weight. Much to my surprise, my '70 Scotty has 1/2" walls - I thought sure they were 3/4". See my Yahoo Photos page at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/malruck/my_photos

If it's good enough for a travel trailer like the Scotty, I'm sure it's fine for a teardrop.

Joseph

[Eric Adams]

What is the real difference (besides some insulation value) of using 1/2" plywood?

In short - weight. Much to my surprise, my '70 Scotty has 1/2" walls - I thought sure they were 3/4". See my Yahoo Photos page at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/malruck/my_photos

If it's good enough for a travel trailer like the Scotty, I'm sure it's fine for a teardrop.

Joseph

BTW: Nice looking 73 VW Vert. I have a 74 Super Beetle in my garage I am working on..

[Larry Messaros]

Much to my surprise, my '70 Scotty has 1/2" walls - I thought sure they were 3/4".

Nice Scotty Joseph!

How is the Scotty wall constructed? Is it just plywood, or is it a sandwich constructions?

[Joseph]

Hey Larry,

How is the Scotty wall constructed? Is it just plywood, or is it a sandwich constructions?

Straight 1/2" plywood walls and a 1/4" plywood ceiling. It's sort of a standing joke among Scotty owners that John Serro built the cheapest piece-of-crap trailer ever to hit the road. The fact that so many are still around is more of a tribute to the restoration capabilities of their owners than to anything Serro did. Many don't have any original plywood left in them - everything had to be replaced. Mine was an exceptional find, especially since it spent its life parked in a farmer's field for use as a guest room. The gentleman I bought it from did a marvelous job sealing & painting the exterior and I'm working on preserving & restoring the original paint on the interior.

Joseph